There is a worldwide shortage of organs for transplantation and about 60% of patients on the waiting list die waiting for replacement organs. The need for new organs is likely to increase as people are living longer. Xenotransplantation could solve this issue. Medical science has advanced to the stage where it is reasonable to consider that organs from other species may soon be engineered to minimise the risk of rejection. Animal organs could be genetically altered with human genes which would deceive the human immune system - tricking to believe that the transplanted organ was a part of its own body - and could be implanted into a human patient, thus ending the organ shortage.
Xenotransplantation has re-emerged due to the lack of organs available and the constant battle to keep immune systems from rejecting allotransplants (same-species transplants). Xenografts are potentially a more effective alternative.
What are the positives of xenotransplantation?
There is a worldwide shortage of organs for transplantation and about 60% of patients on the waiting list die waiting for replacement organs. The need for new organs is likely to increase as people are living longer. Xenotransplantation could solve this issue. Medical science has advanced to the stage where it is reasonable to consider that organs from other species may soon be engineered to minimise the risk of rejection. Animal organs could be genetically altered with human genes which would deceive the human immune system - tricking to believe that the transplanted organ was a part of its own body - and could be implanted into a human patient, thus ending the organ shortage.
Xenotransplantation has re-emerged due to the lack of organs available and the constant battle to keep immune systems from rejecting allotransplants (same-species transplants). Xenografts are potentially a more effective alternative.